The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of cases and rulings of the Court which are related to the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Although many cases brought before the Court pertain to core international crimes, the Court rarely rules specifically on these crimes.

For example, in the context of the case of Mr Sylvère Ahorugeze, a Rwandan national accused of genocide and crimes against humanity, who was arrested in Sweden and requested for extradition by Rwanda’s authorities, the applicant appeared before the Court for his extradition, but the Court did not refer to the genocide issue as it was irrelevant to the case.

However, as explained below, the Court directly addresses serious international crimes mainly in the context of the compatibility of domestic proceedings with Article 7 (principle of legality) of the ECHR.